ABS to collect online retail data

The Bureau of Statistics is set to start collecting data on online sales, filling a gap in the current retail figures.

The Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury says the Federal Government will provide $2.1 million over four years to the ABS to expand its retail sales figures to cover online transactions.

The minister says the move comes in response to the rapid growth in online transactions, even though a 2010 Productivity Commission report found just 6 per cent of sales occurred online.

"This funding will allow the ABS to track trends in online sales growth and provide better data to the Government and industry," he said in a statement.

"The retail sector is a major employer and contributor to the Australian economy. While it faces a number of significant challenges, online retailing presents enormous opportunities for traditional bricks and mortar retailers to expand and innovate."

At this stage, it appears only sales on domestic websites will be included in the monthly figures, with online purchases of imported goods to be reported annually based on data from Australia Post and Customs.

The Government is anticipating that an information paper will be released early next year to provide some preliminary results on online retail spending, while the first full data is expected to be released in November 2013.